Lisa Squire is supporting the College of Policing's new training programme on non-contact sexual offences
A mother's mission to change sexual offence investigations
Published on
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Lisa Squire, whose daughter Libby was tragically raped and murdered by a prolific sex offender, has become a powerful voice in support of the College of Policing's new training programme on non-contact sexual offences (NCSO). For her, this initiative represents a crucial step in preventing other families from experiencing the devastating loss she has endured.
As part of the new training, Lisa shares Libby's story to help police officers and staff understand the potential gravity behind every NCSO report. Drawing from her personal tragedy, Lisa emphasises that the historical tendency to dismiss these offences as 'low-level' crimes has dangerous consequences.
The one-hour training available on College Learn covers:
- the harm caused to victims of non-contact sexual offences
- why victims and offences need to be taken more seriously
- the legislation to be used when dealing with reports of non-contact sexual offences
- how to use the principles from Operation Soteria when responding to, or investigating these offences
- how to identify risk factors to safeguard victims and disrupt offending behaviour.
The programme takes a victim-centred approach while maintaining focus on offender behaviour, which is crucial for victims to feel heard and have their experiences validated. Specialist research was conducted with the public and policing colleagues to identify the key challenges and opportunities for the police when responding to these incidents. This then helped inform the content of the training.
Lisa's advocacy is supported by evidence showing that many offenders with convictions for non-contact sexual offences go on to reoffend. The training aims to ensure that every NCSO is seen as a serious sexual offence and that every report must be treated as an opportunity to prevent future tragedy.
Lisa demonstrates that change happens when stories are shared, and truths are spoken. Her decision to feature in this training as a case study along with another victim of a NCSO, reflects her commitment to transforming how these offences are perceived and investigated. She hopes that by sharing Libby's story, she can help create meaningful change in how the police respond to these incidents and prevent other families from experiencing the heartbreak that she endured.
The College of Policing would like to thank Lisa Squire and her family, and Humberside Police for their help in creating the following video.
Non-contact sexual offences digital training
[1 February 2019 – Libby’s friend reported her missing to the police]
Call handler
Humberside Police control room, how can I help?
Millie
Right. So my friend, we put her in taxi to get home.
Call handler
Yep.
Millie
And then now she’s gone missing.
Call handler
Right. Why do you think she’s gone missing?
Millie
One of our friends is in the house.
Call handler
Yeah.
Millie
She’s not, she’s not got back home.
Call handler
Right. Okay. What’s your friend’s name?
Millie
Libby.
[6 February 2019 – Five days after Libby was reported missing, the police arrested someone.]
Lisa Squire, Libby’s mother
The individual that was arrested was a man called Pawel Relowicz. He was a 24- year-old man who lived in the student area of Hull, married with two young children.
He denied all knowledge, said he didn’t know where Libby was. Never seen her, hadn’t picked her up.
When they arrested him, they put his obviously took his DNA, put it through the database, and it was found that that DNA was a match for several unsolved, non-contact sexual offences that had been reported in the student areas of Hull over the previous 18 months.
[Custody photos show Pawel Relowicz who is a young man with white skin and brown hair.]
Relowicz’s pattern of offending was quite varied. He would commit voyeurism, I think then he committed a household burglary. He then would expose himself in the streets.
He was found masturbating in the streets. He also committed household burglaries with a sexual motivation. So in one particular burglary he stole underwear, sex toys and photographs of the girls that were living there.
It wasn’t, you know, constant voyeurism where he did different things. But they were all, the majority of them had a sexual motivation behind them.
[Relowicz’s offences are shown in a small area of Hull in the following order – 1 voyeurism, 2 burglary, 3 burglary, 4 burglary, 5 voyeurism, 6 voyeurism, 7 burglary, 8 voyeurism, 9 outraging public decency, 10 outraging public decency, 11 outraging public decency, 12 burglary and 13 handling stolen goods.]
[20 March 2019 – 48 days after Libby went missing, Lisa received a call from Sam, her family liaison officer.]
I was on the school run, and Sam rang me to say, ‘There’s been a female body spotted in the Humber Estuary, just on the edge of the North Sea.’ And I said, ‘Oh okay, do you think it’s Libby?’ And she said, ‘Well, Lisa, there aren’t any other females missing.’ And I said, ‘Okay.’ She said, ‘I'm going down there now, I will ring you as soon as I’ve got anything. I'll ring you within the hour.’
So I came home and sort of was sat here. Then the phone rang at 4.20 and it was Sam, and she said, ‘Yes, Lisa, it’s Libby.’
[11 February 2021 – Two years later, Pawel Relowicz was found guilty of Libby’s rape and murder. He was sentenced to 18 years for rape and life for murder.]
[A photo of Libby.]
Online training
- Go to non-contact sexual offences training on College Learn (you will need to log in).
